Harvesting and mowing operations are integral to farm operations. Many such operations are accomplished using farm implements towed and powered by tractors. Tractors are used for a variety of operations on the modern farm and represent a major capital investment. Thus there is a strong desire to utilize such devices and to maximize the efficiency of any operation that is performed by a tractor.
In farming operations such as mowing and harvesting, various devices are towed behind the tractor. These include mowers and the like. These devices can be powered by connection with the power take off apparatus associated with the tractor. In many instances, the efficiency of the farming operation such as mowing is dictated by how rapidly a given field can traversed. In mowing operations this equated to how rapidly the given field can be mowed.
It can be appreciated that the efficiency of the operation depends, at least in part, on the size or span of the farm implement. Increased efficiency can permit harvest of greater crop volumes in a shorter interval at optimum quality. In order to increase efficiency, heretofore, farmers have had to increase the numbers of tractors mowing in a given field. Using multiple tractors increases both capital and labor costs. Thus it would be desirable to provide a mowing device that could be used efficiently and effectively to increase harvest efficiency without increasing capital or labor costs.
The ability to enlarge or increase the operational capacity of various tractor drawn and powered farm implements such as mowing devices has been limited to date. It would be desirable to provide an articulated farm implement that can be configured to accomplish a scope of farming operations such as mowing that, heretofore required use of self-powered farm implements.